


Leather

by daddydanielthespaniel



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 03:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14662296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddydanielthespaniel/pseuds/daddydanielthespaniel
Summary: An artsy bookworm who hopes to open his own bookstore, and an angsty motorcycle buff who has to babysit his forty year-old brother. Can they make a relationship work?





	Leather

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! It's me, Daniel. So this is the first out of I'm-not-sure-how-many chapters of this fic. I'm scheduled to upload a new chapter (or maybe two) each Monday. If you have any requests for different fics besides this one, don't hesitate to let me know! Now, I'm aware that this first chapter is a bit boring, but I'm planning to make it much more interesting (hopefully) the longer it gets. Hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think! :)

It was what would soon be a bright, sunny day; a day straight out of a cheesy romantic comedy- and the events of that day could be described as such. Around eight in the morning, because Merle was an idiot and Daryl was so not going to bail him out of jail at four in the morning, Daryl Dixon strode down the sidewalk of this new unfamiliar town with his hands pushed deep into his pockets. He bit his lip. To say he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with a hungover Merle was a severe understatement; in fact, he was absolutely dreading it. But it was to be expected. Normal.  
What he hadn’t been expecting was to suddenly crash into another figure, causing the sound of something- several things- thumping to the ground. Daryl was like a deer in headlights, before he realized standing there confused would help no one. So, as much as he’d wanted to run away in embarrassment, he sucked it up and leaned down. As he helped the other figure- a man, Daryl quickly decided- he couldn’t help but catch his eyes chasing along every feature of the stranger’s face. Woah. The redneck panicked for a moment when he found himself unsure at whether he’d expressed his reaction. His cheeks went a light, barely visible shade of pink. And then his luck got worse.  
The man’s hair hit Daryl in the face, and Daryl was surprisingly calm about it. On the outside, at least. The long-haired, cheery fellow laughed softly as he finished picking up his fallen books. “Woah? I’d say the same about you.” It was clear from the grin on his face that he was good with talking to people. Daryl wished he could say the same for himself as he merely gave a nod in response. Instead of getting a disappointed roll of blue eyes like Daryl had braced for, the bookworm simply stood up with his books, clearly expecting Daryl to do the same. When Daryl finally got the courage to stand up again, the younger man grinned wide.  
“Rovia, Paul Rovia. But my friends call me Jesus.” The human manifestation of Heaven itself- Paul- struggled with his books before holding a hand out.  
Daryl snorted. “Yeah, like anyone in their right mind’d call you Jesus.” He hesitated before shaking Paul’s hand firmly. The handshake quickly ceased, the both of them feeling some sort of unknown surge of energy between them. “Daryl Dixon. Nice t’ meet you, or whatever.” He shrugged not-so-nonchalantly and pushed his hands into his pockets again. Every intent of leaving to find his brother and move away (again) went out the window when he looked into those eyes again. Shit. “So uh.. why you got so many books? You don’t look young enough to still be in school.”  
“Oh, I’m not.” The smile growing wider only solidified in Daryl’s mind the suspicion that Paul was a total nerd. A totally hot nerd. “I just really enjoy books. Mostly old books, more specifically. I like the feel of the leather on the binding. Fake leather, of course, because I’d rather not hold a dead cow.” Oh great, one of them vegan fellows. And he had been so pretty until then. The thoughts in Daryl’s head must have been painfully obvious, because they earned him a small laugh. “I know what you’re thinking. No, I’m not vegan. In fact, I quite like my meat..and you seem like you would too.” He sent a wink toward Daryl, whose cheeks had very quickly gone very dark. “Here,” Paul began as he moved his books into one arm and used his free hand to get out his phone. “Put your contact in. You seem like somebody I’d like to know. You know, if I need someone to beat someone up for me.”  
Daryl shot him with an incredulous look before chuckling and doing as he was told. Once he’d finished and given the device back to its owner, the owner in question walked past Daryl, his arm brushing against the others’ a bit. The older man panicked. “Wait- you.” A long pause. “How did you know-?”  
“That you’re gay?” Jesus turned to look at Daryl. “Please, as a gay guy in the south I’ve gotta know who is safe to flirt with and who is absolutely not. See you soon, stranger.” He grinned in a cocky sort of way and quickly turned away again, walking down the street and disappearing around a corner. Daryl stared for a moment.  
He’d need to think up a damn good excuse for being late before he got to that sheriff station.


End file.
